The Things That Weren't
by Noise from Nowhere
Summary: Draco accepted Dumbledore's proposal the night the headmaster was supposed to die. Dumbledore is still alive. A simple change of loyalties could affect the course of the war.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. The italicized section is from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, pages 591 and 592.

Chapter One

Harry Potter

(The Lightning-Struck Tower)

"'_There is little time, one way or another,' said Dumbledore. 'So let us discuss your options, Draco.'_

_ 'My options!' said Malfoy loudly. 'I'm standing here with a wand – I'm about to kill you'_

_ 'My dear boy, let us have no more pretense about that. If you were going to kill me, you would have done it when you first disarmed me, you would not have stopped for this pleasant chat about ways and means.' _

_ 'I haven't got any options! I've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill my whole family!_

_ 'I appreciate the difficulty of your position. Why do you think I have not confronted you before now? I knew that you would have been murdered by Lord Voldemort if he realized I suspected you. I did not dare speak of the mission with which you had been entrusted, in case he used Legilimency against you, but now at least we can speak plainly to each other … No harm has been done, you have hurt nobody though you are lucky that your unintentional victims survived … I can help you, Draco.'_

_ 'No, you can't,' said Malfoy, his wand shaking very badly in his hand. 'Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice.' _

_ 'He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother and hide her likewise. Nobody would be surprised that you died in your attempt to kill me – forgive me but Voldemort probably expects it. Nor would the Death Eaters be surprised if we had captured and killed your mother – it is what they would do themselves, after all. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban … when the time comes, we can protect him too. Come over to the right side, Draco … You are not a killer ….'_

_ Malfoy stared at Dumbledore. _

_ 'But I got this far, didn't I?' he said slowly. 'They thought I'd die in the attempt but I'm here… and you're in my power… I'm the one with the wand… You're at my mercy ….'_

_ 'No, Draco,' said Dumbledore quietly. 'It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now.'"_

Malfoy stood there shaking. He continued to stare at Dumbledore, unsure what to do. Slowly, he lowered his wand and dropped his gaze to the floor.

"Good. Now we must act quickly. Hand me my wand, Draco," Dumbledore said.

Malfoy fetched it from the ground quickly, but hesitated before giving it to Dumbledore.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and both Dumbledore and Malfoy turned to face the noise. Dumbledore raised his wand and the Death Eaters arrived just in time to see Draco fall to the ground.

They stopped for a moment, giving Dumbledore just enough time to attack first, incapacitating a man and a woman similar in looks enough to be his sister. Another man who Harry realized must be Fenrir Greyback, leaped forward without a wand. He was thrown to the side with a quick flick from Dumbledore's wand. The fourth Death Eater used this time to fire a spell at Dumbledore. Dumbledore blocked it, but the force of the spell knocked his wand out of his hand for the second time that night. Just as the Death Eater was about to deliver the final curse, he was hit in the back by another spell.

Severus Snape stepped over the now unconscious Death Eater. He looked around, taking in the situation. His eyes finally rested on Dumbledore, whose strength at that moment decided to fail. Snape stepped forward and helped him to lean against the balcony.

"Thank you, Severus." Dumbledore said weakly.

"What happened here?" he replied. He glanced at Malfoy.

"It seems to be, that the youngest Malfoy has decided to let us help him. I will explain the rest later. First summon some of the Order. I'm sure they have driven away the rest of the Death Eaters by now. We will need them to help take care of these Death Eaters and take Draco to my office."

"Sir, is he…." Snape looked at him. Was that worry that Harry saw cross briefly across his face?

"He is fine, simply unconscious. I had to use a powerful spell quickly to fool the Death Eaters coming up the stairs." Dumbledore explained. Snape nodded.

"Severus, go now and call the Order. Then return, for I will need you to help me to my office and an antidote for a potion."

Snape left quickly to do as he was told. Dumbledore turned his head to where Harry was invisible.

"You can come out now, Harry, but keep your invisibility cloak close. I do not want the Order to see you. It would bring up too many questions."

"Professor, what about Malfoy? How are you going to hide him? How will you explain this to the Order? Are you going to be okay? Wh - ," Harry said but Dumbledore cut him off.

"Harry, I will get your questions later. I must deal with the problems at hand."

Harry nodded, "What do you want me to do now, Sir?"

"Wait until the Order leave, then head back to your common room. I will talk to you tomorrow, after this has been sorted out. Take this with you and bring it back to me. I don't want it to be known by anyone." Dumbledore handed the Horcrux to Harry.

Harry put the Horcrux into his pocket and pulled his cloak over his head. Several Order members, including Tonks, Lupin, Kingsley and one other Harry did not recognize, were led by Snape. Harry stepped back into a corner.

"We chased away the rest of them," Kingsley said. "They ran out pass the grounds and apparated away."

"Good. Now we will need to find something to do with these four until we can get the ministry to take them away." Dumbledore said wearily.

Hagrid suddenly burst through the steps, "I'm here! I'm here. I saw some Death Eaters run by me house. I came ter see if I coul' help."

"That is great idea, Hagrid. I would like you to take Malfoy here. Seeing as he is unconscious he will need a little help moving." Dumbledore replied.

Hagrid picked up Malfoy in his huge arms and carried him out the door. The Order watched him leave.

"Kingsley, Remus, and Nymphadora, I need you to take these Death Eaters and find a place to put them. I suggest keeping them separate. There should be empty rooms in the dungeons."

The three of them muttered some spells and levitated the Death Eaters from the tower. Dumbledore turned to the unknown member of the Order.

"I need you to send for at least two other members of the Order and Alastair Moody. There is a mission at Malfoy Manor to be completed tonight." The wizard left with a nod.

"Severus, I must ask you to assist me to my office. We should go." Snape helped Dumbledore to his feet and balanced him with one hand around his shoulder. They headed down the stairs. Harry was left alone on the tower.

AN: Well there you go. Did you like it? Was it too long? Too short? Grammatical Errors? Just tell me what you think. Shall I continue?

--J


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All characters and settings are a product of J.K. Rowling

Chapter Two

Draco Malfoy

Draco awoke in a strange place. Lifting his head he took in his surroundings. He was in a chair facing a desk. Various odd objects filled the room. Bookshelves lined the walls. He figured this was the Headmaster's office. He had never been here before. Sure, he had gotten detentions, but never anything that warranted a trip to this office.

"Yer awake now, eh?" said a voice behind him. He jumped to his feet and spun around to see Hagrid looking out the window. The effort made his head spin and he grabbed on to the chair to keep from falling over.

"Maybe ya shoul' remain sittin'" Hagrid said, gruffly.

Draco didn't respond, but sat back down. However, he turned to watch Hagrid, who continued staring out the window. They sat there in silence for several minutes before the door to the office opened and Snape walked in supporting Dumbledore. Snape helped Dumbledore to his chair. They exchanged a few words that Draco could not hear, and then Snape left.

Dumbledore slumped in his chair and closed his eyes for a second. Then he sat up a little straighter and looked at both Draco and Hagrid.

"Is there anythin' else I can help ya wi', sir?" Hagrid asked.

"Yes. Some other members of the Order have been summoned. Please send them to me when they arrive." Dumbledore replied. Hagrid left the office, leaving just Draco and Dumbledore alone once again.

Dumbledore turned his gaze onto Draco and said, "As you have just heard, I have already summoned some members of the Order. They will be sent out to hide your mother."

Draco nodded but did not say anything, instead choosing to look at the floor. Dumbledore flicked his wand and the fireplace lit up. Draco felt Dumbledore watching him but he did not say anything or even look up. What was there to say?

The door opened and McGonagall stepped in with Tonks, Kingsley, and Lupin close behind.

Tonks spoke first, "We locked the Death Eaters up nice and tight. They aren't going anywhere."

Dumbledore nodded, "Excellent. Did you call the ministry?"

"Yes, sir." Lupin replied. He glanced at Draco. Draco averted his eyes. What happened? The last thing he remembered was handing Dumbledore his wand.

"Albus, how could the Death Eaters have gotten into the school?" McGonagall spoke up.

This was it. They would all find it was him. How were they going to respond? Or did they already know? He had been on the tower with the rest. He tensed, gripping the arm of the chair tightly.

"I believe I know how. However, I will tell that story when we are a little more private." Dumbledore nodded towards Draco.

"That's another question. What is he doing here?" Kingsley asked, nodding at Draco.

Dumbledore was saved from answering when there was a knock at the door and Hagrid came in, "The Order is here, Sir."

"Thank you, Hagrid. I think you should retire to your home now," said Dumbledore.

Hagrid nodded and left. Then Mad-Eye Moody entered with two other wizards.

"Ah, Alastair, it is good that you came. I want you to lead a mission to Malfoy Manor. Capture and hide Narcissa Malfoy. I want the Death Eaters to think she is dead, but don't hurt her. She is now under the protection of the Order."

"Why?" Moody replied gruffly. Draco didn't look at Moody's face but he was sure that the magical eye was watching him.

"I will explain everything later. Right now we don't have a lot of time." Moody nodded and left with the two wizards.

"I'll go, too," Kingsley said and followed them out of the office.

Dumbledore dismissed Lupin and Tonks.

"I would like to speak to Draco, if you don't mind, Minerva." McGonagall nodded and left.

"Since you have probably been listening, you will know that your mother will be safe soon. However, because we are trying to spread the rumor that you are dead, you cannot return to your common room. Instead you will be in the guest bedrooms on the fifth floor. Your possessions will be moved there. You cannot leave in case someone sees you, so you will be brought food. I think it is best if we wait until this term is complete before you leave the school."

Draco just nodded. He couldn't bring himself to look Dumbledore in the eye. '_Why is he helping me?' _ He thought. _'I let Death Eaters into the school__,__ and I _did_ try to kill him__.__' _

They were sitting in silence when there was a knock at the door. Snape came in carrying a potion, which he handed to Dumbledore without saying a word. Dumbledore drank it. He instantly looked much better. He still looked weary, but more awake, instead of looking like he was about to pass out.

"Thank you, Severus. I have one last favor to ask you tonight. I need you to escort Draco to the guest rooms but don't let anyone see him." Snape nodded. Draco rose from the chair slowly and turned to follow Snape.

"And on your way out, could you send in Minerva. I would like to explain things to her." Snape nodded again.

They descended the spiral staircase leading from the office. The gargoyle leapt aside to let them out. McGonagall was standing beside the gargoyle. Snape said something to her but Draco wasn't listening. He followed Snape to the fifth floor. They didn't see anyone. Snape stopped by a door that Draco assumed was a guest room. He opened the door to let Draco in and then closed it and left.

The room had a decent bed, a dresser, a table and another door in the back which he assumed led to the bathroom. Draco kicked his shoes of and crawled into the bed, not even bothering to get under the covers. He was so exhausted from the night's events that he fell asleep within minutes.

AN: There is chapter two. What did you think? Also, if I ever make any mistakes that don't fit in with the original books, please let me know. Most of the time it is not intentional.

-J


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling

Chapter Three

Harry Potter

Harry waited for a minute after Snape and Dumbledore left, before heading down the steps. He was walking silently through the halls when he caught sight of Ginny and Hermione. Stopping several feet in front of them, he took off the invisibility cloak.

Ginny jumped and Hermione let out a small cry.

"Oh, Harry. Warn us before you do something like that," Ginny said.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Harry replied.

"Harry, what are you doing out here?" asked Hermione.

"Never mind that. What are _you_ doing?" Harry said.

"We're going up to the hospital wing." Ginny responded somberly.

"Why? What happened?" Harry said.

"Well, some Death Eaters got into the castle…" Harry cut Ginny off.

"I already know that, skip forward."

"A few of us from Dumbledore's Army fought them. Hermione and Luna were watching Snape's office."

"We saw Flitwick come rushing down to the office calling for Snape. He entered the office and Snape came out. Snape told us Flitwick had collapsed. So we went in to help him and he was unconscious." Hermione said.

"Neville and I were by the Room of Requirement keeping an eye out for Malfoy when everything went dark. He slipped past us with the Death Eaters." Harry opened his mouth but Ginny cut him off this time. "None of us are dead, but a Death Eater was hit by one of their own and got killed. Neville and Professor Flitwick got hurt, but they'll be okay," said Ginny.

"But the Dark Mark…"

"Bill was attacked by Fenrir Greyback… We don't know what will happen seeing as it wasn't the full moon."

They entered the hospital wing. Bill was in bad shape, with deep cuts across his face. Tonks and Lupin arrived twenty minutes into the visit. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came with Fleur. Mrs. Weasley and Fleur reached and understanding when Fleur said she would still marry Bill. This brought up a discussion about Lupin and Tonks. Apparently Sirius wasn't the reason her patronus changed.

They finally left the hospital wing a couple hours before dawn.

"So did you get it?" asked Ron as Harry, Ron and Hermione walked back. Ginny had retired earlier

"Get what?" Harry responded.

"The Horcrux, of course."

"Oh, that. Er, yeah, it's right here." Harry pulled the Horcrux from his pocket. He had forgotten it until then.

"It's a locket?" Hermione stared at it. Harry handed it to her so she could study it closer.

"So, You-know-who's soul is in there?" Ron said.

"Only part of it, but that's the basic idea." Harry said. Hermione handed the Horcrux to Ron.

"It's strange to think I'm holding someone's soul." said Ron. "Here, take it back." He handed the locket to Harry who put it back in his pocket.

"Once this one is destroyed, there will only be four left." Hermione stated.

They came to the portrait of the Fat Lady, who was wide awake.

"What is going on? Is it true? Are there really Death Eaters in the castle?" she asked worriedly.

"There gone now." said Harry, shortly. Then he stated the password and crawled through the portal.

The common room was packed with just about every Gryffindor. Everyone went silent and turned to stare at the three friends. Then they all started speaking at once.

"What's going on?"

"Is anyone okay?"

"Who were the Death Eaters?"

"How'd they get in?"

Harry didn't respond to them. Instead he whispered a goodnight to Hermione, then he and Ron headed to their dormitory. No one was there, so Harry assumed Dean and Seamus were in the common room.

"I think I'm going to go to bed." Ron said. Harry just nodded, though he was exhausted he didn't really feel like sleeping. He waited until he was sure Ron was asleep, and pulled out the Horcrux.

The locket was gold. The outside was plain. When Harry opened it a piece of paper fell to the floor. Retrieving it, Harry unfolded it to read a note. The note said that the real locket had been taken. The note was signed R.A.B. Jumping up, Harry was about to run to Dumbledore, when he realized Dumbledore was probably busy. He would have to wait until Dumbledore would contact him.

Finally Harry laid down on his bed and fell asleep thinking of people with the initials R.A.B.

A/N: That was a bit shorter than the others. The locket is described how I imagined it. I left out the hospital scene, because you have mostly all read the book, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. Basically the same thing happened, but it took longer for people to arrive, since they were with Dumbledore.

-J


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All _Harry Potter_ characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Four

Draco Malfoy

When Draco first woke up, he didn't remember anything. Then the events of last night came rushing back. He just wanted to go back to sleep. Forget about his mission. Forget about Dumbledore, the Death Eaters, the Dark Lord. Sleep however would not come, so instead he sat up.

Looking around he found a clock on the wall. The time was around noon. He had slept through the whole morning.

Standing up, he realized he was still in his clothes from last night. He was surprised to find his belongings in his trunk at the foot of his bed. He grabbed a pair of clothes, and then went to the bathroom to take a shower and clean up.

As soon as he got out he found some food on the table. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he saw the plate. He sat down at the table and ate his breakfast, or lunch, by now, quickly.

Finished he sat back to think. _Will Dumbledore keep his promise? How will the Order accept this? I don't deserve this; I tried to _kill_ the man! It's a trick. It has to be. No one is that forgiving. But what if he is? No. Definitely not._

Draco went to his trunk and pulled out his potions book. Maybe schoolwork would distract him from his thoughts. That worked for a few hours, until he ran out of homework.

Some time past six, there was a knock at the door. He jumped. Should he open the door?

"Dumbledore sent me. Please open the door." said a deep voice. Cautiously, Draco proceeded to open the door. A tall man he recognized as Kingsley Shacklebolt strolled in. Draco closed the door behind him. He had seen the man briefly when the ministry had been conducting raids his second year. They had never found anything of course. His father was too good at covering up such things.

"Good evening, Draco. I'm here to explain the current plan for you." Draco stared back at him warily.

"How about we sit down?" he said gesturing to the chairs at the table. Kingsley took a seat but Draco remained standing.

"Well, I'm sure you would like to know that your mother is okay. A bit distraught, but okay." A quick flash of relief flashed across Draco's face, something Kingsley did not miss.

"You want to know what will happen to you." It was said like a question. Draco nodded slightly.

"Tomorrow night, you are going to go with Molly and Arthur Weasley. You will spend a few nights. From there you will be moved to another location."

"Am I allowed to know what this other location is?" he said quietly.

He thought about the question. "I can't tell you. Dumbledore has to say where himself." Draco nodded shortly again. He suspected a Fidelius Charm. He had learned from the Death Eater's that the Order had been particularly fond of it, when choosing their meeting places.

"Was anyone hurt?" Draco asked in a voice barely above a whisper, though he tried to sound more confident. It was the question that had been stuck in his mind all day.

"Bill Weasley was the only one. He was attacked by Fenrir Greyback. He should recover, but werewolf bites… you never know. Especially when this wasn't the full moon," Kingsley paused. "It could have been worse. Only one wounded? We were lucky."

They stayed in silence for a few minutes. This news was disturbing to Draco. Bill Weasley was the son of the people he was supposed to be staying with for the next few days. _Shit. This won't be pleasant._

"You are doubting Dumbledore," Kingsley stated. "I suppose anyone in your position would. You should know Dumbledore is a man of his word." His deep voice was reassuring. Again, Draco did not respond.

"Lupin and Weasley will be here tomorrow night." Kingsley added before rising and heading to the door.

"Good night." Kingsley said and left, leaving Draco to his thoughts.

The next day, Draco packed everything in his trunk and waited until night. Lupin and Mr. Weasley did not arrive until past midnight. He then followed them into Hogsmeade with his belongings, where they apparated to the Weasley's home. Mrs. Weasley greeted them at the door and hurried them in.

"Good evening, Molly," Lupin said quietly.

"Good evening. Would you like something, Remus, before you leave?" she responded.

"No, thank you. If you all are okay then I'm going to get home."

"See you later, Remus." Mr. Weasley said as they shook hands.

Then Mrs. Weasley turned her attention to Draco.

"Are you hungry?" That was not what he expected her to say.

"Er…No, thank you."

"Then let's get you up to bed. You'll be in Percy's old room," she said. "Arthur, help him take his trunk upstairs." Mr. Weasley picked up one end of the trunk and Draco took the other. Together they went up the creaky stairs, Mr. Weasley leading the way to the bedroom.

"Here we are." said Mr. Weasley gruffly, opening a door on the second floor. The room was small, with a lamp, a bed and a dresser on which were several papers. The bed had been made with clean sheets.

"You'll be staying here for a few days. Then you go off to Headquarters. Any questions," Mr. Weasley asked, though it was clear he did not want to answer any. Draco could tell he blamed him for what happened to his son. _Damn. There go my hopes of him not knowing. Not that they were likely anyways._

"No, sir," Draco responded.

"In that case, get to bed." Mr. Weasley nodded and left, closing the door behind him, harshly.

Changing into his pajamas, Draco slipped into bed. It took awhile for him to fall asleep, though.

_That went better than I thought. At least they didn't scream at me. This house isn't so bad either. Actually, it's kind of nice._

There was a loud knock at the door. "Breakfast is ready," came the voice of Mrs. Weasley.

Draco was jolted awake. He rolled out of bed and quickly got changed. He tried to fix his hair in mirror above the dresser, and then went down into the kitchen.

Mrs. Weasley was there cleaning. A nice smell came from a plate of pancakes on the counter. She turned when he entered the room.

"Do all teenage boys sleep all day?" she asked with a small smile.

"Some girls, too," he responded quietly.

"Eat." she said gesturing to the plate, before turning back to her cleaning.

Draco sat down and ate slowly. Mrs. Weasley was much kinder than her husband. _She must not know it was my fault for what happened to her son. _The pancakes were very good, some of the best he ever had. The whole time Mrs. Weasley bustled around the kitchen. When he was finished, she flicked her wand to wash the dishes and left them on the drying rack.

"Bill, my son, should be coming home in a few days," Mrs. Weasley said, conversationally.

"Oh, so he's getting better?" he asked quiet. It was his fault Bill was attacked by Greyback. He hadn't known Greyback would be there. He hated that man-wolf thing, who was more beast than human now and it gave Draco the chills just by being in the same country as him. Still, if he hadn't let the Death Eaters into the castle, none of this would have happened. _But if I hadn't, _he_ would have killed me and my family. _

"Slowly. Werewolf bites don't heal quickly. The healers said something about the wounds being cursed." Her voice choked at the end.

"At least he should be okay." Draco responded, trying to be comforting, but it came out in a monotone.

"Yes." She nodded, though more to herself. Sensing that she might start crying, Draco returned to his room as fast as possible without being rude.

A/N: Chapter 4! This was Draco again. By the way, the next chapter is probably Harry's point of view. However, I do plan on doing other views as well, once I get to a certain point.

P.S: Thanks to those who reviewed. They are greatly appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All settings and characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Five

Harry Potter

Waking up, Harry realized, he hadn't changed out of his clothes. Rolling out of bed he changed into casual clothes, guessing that after last night, classes would be canceled.

Ron was still snoring in his bed, so Harry decided to wake him up. It took several shakes before he got a response.

"Huh? What's going on, Harry?" Ron mumbled, his words slurring together so it actually sounded like 'wasoinon, ary?'.

"Time to get up."

"Who are you, Hermione?"

"No, I'm just hungry."

Ron groaned and rolled out of bed. Ron changed into some comfortable clothes and they made their way to the Great Hall.

In the Great Hall, things had already been cleaned up. There was no sign of the battle anywhere, except for the whispers of the students. They talked in quiet voices, heads bent together, no doubt spreading rumors of what had happened the previous night. A few people, from the Gryffindor table glanced at Harry. They must have been wondering where he was last night.

Harry and Ron sat down near Hermione, who was reading a book, while already eating her breakfast. Harry grabbed his food and had begun eating, when Hermione put down her book and turned to them.

"Good morning," she said.

"G'mrnig," Ron said with a stuffed mouth, mangling his words for the second time that morning.

"Morning, 'Mione," Harry responded.

"So, have you heard from Dumbledore about the you-know-what, yet?" she asked, lowering her voice.

"Not yet." Just then Colin Creavey bounced up to them.

"Here you go, Harry," he said handing over a letter. "It's from Dumbledore!" Everyone in range of that exclamation turned to look at Harry, curious as to what the letter could mean.

"Uh, thanks, Colin. I'll read it a little later." Harry could have sworn he heard a few sighs of disappointment. "I take that back Hermione, I have heard from Dumbledore."

Harry, Ron and Hermione finished their breakfast as fast as they could, so they could see the message. They found an empty classroom where they could open the envelope without any curious students leaning over their shoulders. Harry recited the letter aloud:

_ Dear Harry,_

_I must ask you to come to my office tomorrow at 8 p.m. There are a number of things we must discuss concerning the recent events. Do not forget to bring the artifact that was found. _

_Yours sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

"Eight o'clock. I guess that's when I will find out what is going to happen with the Horcrux." Harry said.

"We'll wait for you to get back. Hopefully everyone will have gone to bed and you can tell us what happens," Hermione stated.

Standing at the door to Dumbledore's office, Harry raised his hand to knock. Before he could however, he heard voices inside.

"The boy has been delivered safely," sounded the voice of Lupin.

"Good. Then the Weasleys accepted him?" Dumbledore asked.

"Arthur was not without protest. That is only to be expected. He is not on best terms with Lucius. I only managed to convince him because Draco is only staying for a few days, before being moved to headquarters. Molly however, was quite gracious. I believe she sees him as only a child."

"Many of the young ones here are adults now, before their time. They have seen far too much from the hands of Lord Voldemort."

"I agree. Well, I must be going. There is much I must attend to in the morning."

Harry decided to knock then, so Lupin would not find him at the door eavesdropping. Lupin opened the door,

"Oh. Good evening, Harry. Perfect timing. We were just finishing," Lupin smiled at him, and then slipped out the door.

"Good evening, Harry," said Dumbledore, standing. "I do believe you are making quite the habit of listening from behind my door." He smiled and then crossed the room to stand in front of the fireplace.

"However, this does save us the time of me telling you what has become of young Mister Malfoy. How are you, Harry? Have you recovered from our mission?"

"Good, professor. I'm alright," Harry said. "And you?"

"I am well, Harry. I have recovered from that awful potion very quickly, with great thanks to Professor Snape," Dumbledore said. "But we must get to the more pressing topics. Do you have the Horcrux?"

Harry nodded and pulled it out of his pocket. "Sir, the locket…it's…"

"Yes, Harry?"

"It's a fake."

"What do you mean?" Dumbledore looked at him sharply.

Harry opened the locket and pulled out the note from R.A.B. Handing it over; Dumbledore snatched it from his fingers. Dumbledore's expression grew darker as he read the note. After reading it through a few times, Dumbledore finally spoke:

"This will certainly change things. Now we are still ignorant of all the other Horcruxs' whereabouts. However, I suppose, this could be the greatest clue in our search that we may ever receive. Now, Harry, do you know who has the initials R.A.B?"

"No, sir. I haven't got any idea."

"Neither do I, sadly," Dumbledore looked over his half moon spectacles. "We must narrow down to a list of possibilities we may look into. Can you think of anyone who would want to spite Voldemort?"

"I know a lot of people who would _want_ to."

"Yes, I agree, but we need someone who might have access to information about the Horcruxes."

"I have no idea, sir. Maybe a member of the Order?"

"That is a possibility. If they were a member of the Order, they probably would have alerted me to the existence of a Horcrux long ago. No, it needs to be someone who is against Voldemort, but not necessarily on our side. Maybe one of his Death Eaters?"

"Aren't Death Eaters supposed to have complete loyalty or something?"

"He may have pushed them too far on an order. Every person has their limits, Harry."

"I guess… It just seems as though Death Eaters wouldn't turn on Voldemort. They all support his 'cause' after all, which makes them evil."

"No, Harry. Death Eaters are people. Many, or maybe even most, of them do support his cause. But, some of them aren't Death Eaters for such a thing. Many only want power, or as you saw last night with Mister Malfoy; some have no choice. I believe at the moment, many of his old followers are reluctant to serve again. He will be looking for new recruits. But, to find this Horcrux, we will have to look at the old followers."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. You may leave the locket on my desk. I would appreciate it if you would do some research yourself. Then we may get to the answer faster."

"Yes, professor."

"Excellent. I believe that will conclude our evening. Good night, Harry."

A/N: Sorry for taking awhile to update. I had a busy week. I think that pretty much summed up all Harry and Dumbledore needed to talk about. Did I leave anything out? Next chapter is in Draco's point of view, but the one after that will be someone new. I want you all to guess. Tell me in your review.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: All characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling

Chapter Six

Draco Malfoy

The past few days had been…well, awkward. Draco had spent his time between his temporary bedroom and trying to help Mrs. Weasley. It was the least he owed her, considering it was his fault that her son was attacked by a werewolf. She was strangely warm towards him. These chores however, did not always work out, since he had never had to do any before in his life. That was for the house-elves. He desperately wished to use his wand, but that had been confiscated by the Order "until further notice". Draco translated that as "until you are trustworthy", which would never happen.

Mr. Weasley was not nearly as welcoming as his wife. In fact he barely looked at Draco except for glares and if he said anything it was short and cold. Of course he probably deserved that. The only time they saw each other was when Mrs. Weasley dragged him down for dinner. They ate in a tense atmosphere before Draco would run off to his room.

It was during the third of these dinners that Mr. Weasley finally said something important to Draco. He put down his fork.

"You're leaving in two days," he said curtly.

Draco put his fork down and turned to look at Mr. Weasley, "Where am I going?"

"Headquarters. The Order thinks you might know some information about the Death Eaters," Mr. Weasley said the last word with distaste and resumed eating.

"Are you going to tell me where that is?" Draco met his gaze. He did not like what Mr. Weasley was saying, even if he did expect it.

"No."

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley spoke up. "I'm sure he probably wants to know what he's walking into."

"If he were to escape, then he could tell the Death Eaters where it was," Mr. Weasley snapped.

"Why would he escape? He's safe here."

"He's a Death Eater, Molly." Mr. Weasley argued, forgetting Draco's presence.

"Not anymore."

"Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater." Draco had to admit he had a point there. It was nearly impossible to flee the Dark Lord. Draco had Dumbledore's help and he still wasn't sure that the Dark Lord didn't know where he was.

"Fine," Draco spoke up. "Don't tell me. I get it. I'm not trustworthy."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley fell silent. Slowly they resumed eating. Draco only ate one or two more bites. When it was appropriate, he quietly excused himself and slipped upstairs.

The next two days passed even quieter than the previous ones. Even Mrs. Weasley didn't really say anything unnecessary and though Mr. Weasley ceased his glares, he also wouldn't so much as glance at him.

Finally, Kingsley and Lupin arrived one night to take him to the base.

"Don't open it until we tell you," Kingsley said, handing Draco and envelope. Draco slid it into an inside pocket of his jacket. Then, grabbing his possessions, he followed them out into the yard, where they apparated away.

The road they appeared upon was lit by the glow of streetlamps. In front of them was a row of houses and the street-sign said Grimmauld Place.

"You can open the letter now." Kingsley said. Draco pulled it out of his jacket and tore it open along the top. Inside was a slip of paper that said:

_12 Grimmauld Place is the headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix._

Immediately a house came into being between numbers eleven and thirteen. _Of course, _Draco thought. _A Fidelius Charm. _He had learned from his father that the charm had been the Order's favorite before the Dark Lord had been defeated. It allowed them to hide their safe houses from anyone who did not learn the address from the secret-keeper. No doubt, this one's secret-keeper was Dumbledore.

Lupin took the paper and envelope from him and lit them on fire. Even when the flames burned down to his fingertips, they did not even singe them. Kingsley gave him a slight push on the shoulder to get him to move. Re-gathering his things, they climbed the short steps to the door. Lupin pushed it open and waited for them to pass.

Kingsley motioned for him to follow. When they came to the staircase, Kingsley kindly took some of his bags and led him up to the third floor into the last room in the hallway.

He immediately could tell that the bedroom had not been used in a years. Dust coated the dresser and wooden floorboards, while moths had eaten holes in both the curtains and bed sheet. Kingsley's foot prints stood out against the creaky floor.

"We'll get you some new sheets tonight," Kingsley said. Draco nodded to show he had heard.

"Stay here for now, Alastair Moody would like to express a few rules with you in the morning and then you'll be able to leave the room." Kingsley walked out, shutting the door behind him.

_Wonderful. An auror who is famous for putting dark wizards in Azkaban. Like me. And he gets to explain the 'rules'. Great._ He thought sarcastically.

A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. When Draco opened it, he found a pile of fresh sheets. Draco made the bed as best he could. He had never done this before, since his family had always had a house-elf. His attempt turned out to be what looked like a pile. Giving up, he lay down and went to sleep.

He was jolted awake by a pounding on the door. Glancing at the window, he saw the barest rays of sun. _Who the hell could that be? It must be around 5 a.m_. Looking down at himself, he saw he had fallen asleep in his shirt.

The person pounded on the door again. "Open up, boy, or I'm going to knock this door down anyways." Draco sprang out of bed and grabbed a pair of pants, pulling them on quickly, he hurried to the door. He hated the way he looked: disheveled and messy. It was not how he would like to present himself to anyone. Particularly some Order agent he had never met, unless of course you count the imposter that had infiltrated the school his fourth year. He had hated that man.

Pulling open the door, Alastair Moody came in, his footsteps heavy. He did not look very pleased with Draco. On second thought, he had met this agent. Though, he supposed, he technically met Moody's imposter his fourth year. Thinking of it like that was too confusing, best not to waste the energy. Draco snapped back to attention.

"I'm here to lay down a few ground-rules. First off, if I catch you doing anything, remotely close to spying. Well, we won't kick you out. I'm sure it will be much worse than that," He met Draco's gaze with a glare.

"Secondly, stay up here if anyone comes in the house, unless they come to you. And finally, you are going to earn your keep. We want to know what you know about You-Know-Who. I don't have time now, but I will be back. Don't say anything to anyone else, but me. Just remember, you are lucky to be here, one wrong move and you're gone. For now though, you may look around. Don't try to open any locked doors. Any questions?"

Draco wanted to hear about his parents but had no desire to ask this man. "Can I have my wand back?"

"No. you have to prove that you can be trusted first." Draco expected as much.

Moody finished talking, but continued to look him in the eye. After a long pause when Draco refused to look away, Moody gave a slight nod. Something changed in his eyes, a small sliver of grim respect. Then Moody turned and hobbled out the door.

When Draco heard Moody's footsteps on the stairs, he shut the door. He was still exhausted. Even though there had been no clock in his room, he estimated he hadn't finally gone to sleep until two or three in the morning. He wanted to crawl back under the sheets. But then, he realized that it might be awhile before he got another chance to look around. Who knew how busy the Headquarters would get later today?

Quietly reopening the door, he peeked out. Seeing no one, he stepped out softly, trying to avoid making the floorboards creak. He carefully proceeded down the hallway. He tried to open the two other doors on the floor. One of them was locked, but the other one opened on squeaky hinges. It was empty except for another bed and a large collection of dust.

Draco went down the stairs, sticking close to the wall to avoid making noise. There were more rooms on this floor. Once again, several of the doors were locked. The ones that he did open held nothing interesting. One seemed to be a study. Another held a lot of books, so he assumed it was the Black family's library. The final room was empty, except for a large, painted tree that covered the far wall.

He stepped into this room and moved to examine the tree. Various names were written on the branches. As he followed them along the wall, he began to recognize some names. He realized that this must be the Black Family tree.

He found his grandparents; of course he never really met them because they had died shortly after his birth. On a connecting branch he found his mother's name. Next to hers was his aunt's, Bellatrix. Though she seemed to be fond of him, she still somewhat scared him. He had heard of the atrocities she had committed in the name of the Dark Lord. He would never admit that, of course.

On a branch bordering his mother's, was a burned spot, as if someone had tried to erase that person's existence. Scrutinizing it, he could just make out the beginning letter: an _S,_ most likely for Sirius. He knew the story of Sirius Black, his mother's cousin.

Sirius had been sorted into Gryffindor his first year at Hogwarts. That had put tension between him and his family to begin with, however, when Sirius seemed to fit right in, it had only made matters worse. Sirius had many fights with his family, the last of which ended in him running away, and his mother disowning him. Draco's mother had mentioned this back when Black had first escaped from Azkaban. Even then, the Death Eaters themselves believed it Black who had ratted out the Potters. It wasn't until a year later when they saw Peter Pettigrew at the Dark Lord's resurrection that they figured out the truth. Draco hadn't been there, but his father had been. It just goes to show how the Dark Lord kept his followers separated. It was probably so they couldn't rat the others out, and so they couldn't conspire against him.

He stood there for a few more minutes, running his hand over the branches, searching for other names he might know. Finally he quietly left the room. Stopping by the library he picked up a few books that seemed less horrendously dull than the rest and returned to his room. After sliding the books under the bed for later reading, he crawled under the sheets and went back to sleep.

A/N: My apologies repeatedly for yet again taking forever to update. Exciting news: Chapter 7 will be neither Draco's nor Harry's Pov. Anyone want to guess who it is? Go on. Tell me in your review. Just press that button.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: All characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling

A/N: Wow. It's been three months. I feel like winter has gone by so fast and I lost track of time. Okay so this chapter is in Hermione's POV. Not as interesting as I may have made you think. Anyways, I hope to write some later chapters in the POV of some characters that aren't as commonly used.

Chapter Seven

Hermione Granger

In light of the recent events, the ministry had placed agents on the campus. Though Dumbledore had tried to keep everything hush-hush, in a school this large, a secret was bound to be found out. The day after the attack, classes had resumed normally. Final exams were rushed however, and students were being sent home a week early. Hermione, herself, was only spending a few days at home and then the rest of her summer at Grimmauld Place. Because of the Death Eater's newfound courage in taking on Hogwarts itself, it wouldn't be long before they made a move against the Order and Harry. Being Harry's best friends, Hermione and Ron would be spending the summer with him, cooped up in headquarters.

Her bag in one hand and Crookshanks in the other, Hermione set off towards the train, where she would meet Ron and Harry. Her trunk was still in her room, from where it would be sent to the train. She had the feeling this was the last time she would see Hogwarts for quite a while.

Coming into view of the train, she saw Ron waving at them from the third car to the front. She smiled widely, enjoying the view of her newfound boyfriend. It was almost ironic that they would end up together despite all the times they have fought. She hurried to him and he held waited by the door until she arrived and then led her to the cabin where Harry was already seated with Hedwig. Harry gave her a polite smile as she entered and situated herself across from him and next to Ron.

Two weeks later Hermione was stuck in her room anxiously awaiting a message from Ron, inviting her back to Grimmauld Place. Her parents were in the living room downstairs watching the television. She was afraid for her parents that the Death Eaters might hurt them to get to her. However, she comforted herself with the fact that they probably thought muggles were too ignorant to know anything about the War or their daughter's witchy practices anyways. She knew she was counting on the pureblood's arrogance, but what other choice did she have? She hadn't had nearly enough time to come up with a plan to protect them for a long period of time. _'I'll come back and find them someplace safe for them to stay if the war takes a turn for the worse'_ she promised herself.

Hermione pulled a book off her shelf. It was a mindless, cliché romance, but at the moment, she needed something like that to distract her. She had barely started the third chapter when there was a _tap tap tap_ at her window. Ron's owl, Pig, was on the sill with a note in his talons. Quickly throwing an old blanket over her arm, she opened the window and allowed Pig to crawl onto her thickly protected arm and untied the letter from around his claws

Scanning it, she found that she was supposed to meet them (Harry and Ron) at a coffee shop about two blocks away. Grabbing the suitcase she had packed the previous night, she made her way down the stairs. On her way out, she hugged her parents good-bye and told them the lie she was going to a summer camp for witches. It was a lie she had come up with last night and they had no way to know whether or not it was true.

It was slightly chilled for the summertime as she made her way to the meeting place. She took her time taking in the view of her neighborhood. She was unsure when she would see it again. Arriving at coffee shop, she slid into one of the booths and ordered a cup. This place had the best coffee she had ever tasted and it was one of the places she would miss in the coming months.

She was finishing her coffee when Ron and Harry made their way into the shop. They waved excitedly and she stood up. Ron snatched her suitcase from her, eager to be a good boyfriend. He wrapped his other hand around her waist and gave her a quick but tender kiss on the lips. Harry kindly averted his eyes.

"Ready to go?" Ron asked. She nodded.

"Mr. Weasley is waiting with a portkey about two blocks away," Harry said. She gave him a friendly hug and the three of them left the shop. They turned left at a small park that consisted of only a swing set and a slide, venturing into a small alley across the street. Mr. Weasley was reading a newspaper he must have picked up while waiting. He mouth was turned down slightly in a frown and he had a furrowed brow. Whatever he was reading was clearly disturbing him.

"Watcha got there, Dad?" Mr. Weasley jumped a bit when Ron called out to him. He had evidently been deep in the article.

"Oh. Ah, it's just a muggle newspaper. It appears the antics that you-know- who's servants have been doing are being noticed."

"I would hardly call an uprising in kidnappings and murders 'antics'," Harry said looking at the article in Mr. Weasley's hand as he picked up his suitcase that he had apparently left here while fetching Hermione. Mr. Weasley sighed and rolled up the newspaper. Tucking it in his jacket he pulled a pocket watch with a long chain out of his pocket.

He read the watch. "We have about five minutes until the portkey will leave."

"Great. That means we're early. Where is it?" Harry asked.

"I'm holding it."

"That pocket watch is the portkey? It tells time and can send you around the world. Convenient."

"Well, not the world. It has only one destination really," Mr. Weasley gave a small smile.

Five minutes later they were all holding on to the chain as the portkey started up. She could never get used to the uncomfortable tugging behind her bellybutton and the feeling of being thrown around while her hand remained wrapped around the chain.

They landed across the street from Grimmauld Place. She remembered the first time when it had seemed to push aside the townhouses on both sides and taken form. Now she could see it right away. Mrs. Weasley opened the door just as Hermione was about to knock. She poked her head out looking quickly from side to side and then ushered them in. As soon as she closed the door she smiled and embraced Hermione and Harry like they were her children. After inquiring over their well being she sent them upstairs to find a bedroom.

There were few bedrooms on the second floor. Harry continued climbing up the stairs, following Ron to the room they would share. Hermione was about to make the trek to the third floor, when Ginny's head popped out of the farthest room to the right.

"You are going to room with me, Hermione. We have the same bedroom as the last time we were here," Ginny said.

Hermione smiled, "Great, Ginny. I would hate to be climbing so many stairs every time I needed to get something from my room." Ginny helped her carry her luggage through the narrow hallway and set it on the far bed. There were also two dressers and a desk. Clean sheets were folded at the foot of her bed.

"Truthfully, I'm glad to have a room-mate. This house sort of creeps me out," Ginny explained. "It creaks all the time, not to mention Mrs. Black's portrait and that house-elf, Kreacher, skulking around all the time. I'm so relieved that the Order had the sense to remove those house-elf heads."

"It's sickening the way wizards use to treat their servants. And even more so, the fact that many are still being abused!"

"I know, Hermione, please don't start on this rant again. After you-know-who is gone, we can worry about the house-elves," Ginny sighed. "I'll go get us a snack while you unpack."

Ginny left and Hermione heard the steps creak as she walked down them. Just as she was beginning to unpack, she heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway.

"You're back awfully fast. Were there no snacks in the kitchen?" Hermione called out before she peeked her stepped outside the door, only to catch sight of the person she would never have expected to see.

"Malfoy?" He froze at the top of the railing of the stairway and turned around. Surprise flickered across his face before he covered it up in a blank mask.

"Granger?" He said, mocking her tone.

"What are you doing here?" She was so surprised, she forgot to be rude.

"You first," He replied.

"What? No! I asked first."

"Clearly this conversation is going to go nowhere, so if you'll excuse me…" He turned to go down the steps.

"This conversation has barely even started!" He ignored her and continued down the stairway.

Hermione returned to unpacking. A minute later she heard Ginny come running up the stairs and turned as Ginny burst into the room.

"Draco Malfoy is here!" she exclaimed. "Well, actually he's in the kitchen… but he is within this house!"

"I know. I saw him going downstairs."

"Did he say anything?"

"Not really. Did he say anything to you?"

"'Hello.'"

"Hello?"

"Yes, he said 'hello'. Then I excused myself and ran up here to tell you. Oh and I got some snacks." Ginny held up two apples. "Mom was in the kitchen too so we're stuck with fruit."

"That's alright." Hermione took one of the apples and bit into it.

"So, what are we going to do?" Ginny asked.

"Well, I think we should go tell Harry and Ron first."

"Oh man, they are going to freak out."

A/N: Yay! Chapter Seven! I will try to update faster, I swear. Also, if there are any weird places where the text seems out of place, please let me know. Microsoft Word was giving me format problems but it should be fixed now. Thanks to the person on yahoo answers!


End file.
